2004 Bylaws for Nathan Hale's Senate

 

Voting members:    The Senate will consist of 26  members, one representative elected from each of the following areas (except for  at-large):

·     Career & Technical Education (radio, business, graphics, Family & Consumer Science)

·     Fine Arts (music, photography, art )

·     Special needs (E S L, special-education)

·     Math

·     Science

·     Language arts

·     Social studies

·     World Languages

·     Counseling, library, nurse

·     Physical education

·     Ninth grade Academy

·     Tenth grade integrated studies

·     Support staff (custodial, secretarial, food-service, instructional assistants, security)

·     Principal

·     2 grade 11-12 teachers at-large

·     Four students (There would be no alternates just as there are none for teachers).

·     Six parents (one each from PTSA board, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, & Special Needs)

 

If no one is willing to run, the department head will be the representative.  Student representatives will be chosen during class elections.

 

Terms of office for Senate members:    Elections will be held in late May and new members will officially take office on the completion of the last school day of each year.  Freshman & Parent Senators would be elected by the end of September.

 

Filling vacancies:   If a duly elected Senate member vacates his or her position, the Department will be responsible for selecting a new member.  At-large and student members will be filled at the recommendation of the chairperson. 

 

Quorum:        Fifteen Senate members must be physically present and "attend that meeting " for business to take place.  Absent members may send another representative from among their constituency. (The Senator shall be responsible for “briefing” the representative about the issues on the agenda). Officers     The Senate will select its own a chairperson and recording secretary from its own voting members.  If the chairperson is absent from a meeting, he or she will designate a replacement. 

 

Meeting times:         The Senate will meet, normally, after school, starting fifteen minutes after completion of the school day, twice per month.  The dates and location of meetings will be set by a vote of the Senate at the first meeting of the year. Meetings will last for one hour unless there is a motion passed to extend the time.

 

Senate meetings are open to visitors. Visitors may speak, but may not vote.

 

Agenda items:         Members of the Senate, or of Nathan Hale's staff or student body, may suggest topics for discussion in possible resolution by giving their agenda items to the Senate chairperson or recording secretary or Hale's  principal.  During each meeting a printed agenda will be available. Agenda writing duty will be assigned at the first Senate meeting of the new year.

 

Any new motion brought to the Senate may not be voted on until the following Senate meeting. New motions will be discussed under new business, and then the following meeting listed as old business and voted upon. (Remember we can always suspend the rules if there is ever an “emergency” motion that must be attended to immediately!)

Passed: 10/4/2004

 

Voting            Voting shall be in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.  The Senate chair will serve as a parliamentarian. 

 

 

BY LAWS AMENDMENTS             1/18/00

 

By laws can be amended by the Senate at any time with a two-thirds majority vote of the members present, providing they constitute a quorum.

 

OPERATING NORMS

 

If you have the floor and pause after asking a question, the chair will operate on the understanding that the speaker is yielding the floor.

 

The chairperson will approach departmental areas/ when an elected representative has missed two consecutive meetings.

 

The secretary will record the attendees.

 

The out-going chair (or secretary in his/her absence) shall be responsible for calling the first meeting of the school year.

 

Meetings will last for one hour unless there is a motion passed to extend the time.